Monday Memo May 1, 2017

Dean’s Message

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you to everyone who attended our 2017 Celebration of Excellence. Here’s a link to some photos on Flickr: 2017 A&S Celebration of Excellence .We had many deserving award winners, an impressive collection of recent book publications, posters of some amazing research, and some good-natured fun. Most of all, many people were able to catch up with old friends and make new ones from across the college while celebrating the conclusion of an academic year filled with good work. Special thanks to the committees and staff who participated in the planning and made sure the party was festive. I’m already looking forward to the 2018 celebration; it isn’t too early to think about who you’ll nominate!

Looking beyond the Run for the Roses, I hope faculty are planning to attend Commencement. The ceremony is important to our students, and they really appreciate seeing their professors. We need to stay in touch with our alumni, and this is a great way to get off on the right foot. It’s also a lot of fun to see so many smiles and so much pride in their accomplishments.

For those students who aren’t graduating, we really want them to take Summer and/or Fall classes in order to meet enrollment targets. Faculty and staff, please encourage the students with whom you are in contact to register. Your help is much appreciated. Remember, the Summer school course discount is still available. For more information, send them to http://uofl.me/17summer.

Finally, next Monday will be my last regular message until classes resume in the Fall. I hope to be able to provide you with a status update regarding the A&S budget for AY18, but the full picture may not come into view until June. However, I do promise to convey the situation to the extent that I know it next week.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Kempf-Leonard

Dean

Kudos

Prof. Brown wins national advising award
Prof. David Brown (Physics & Astronomy) won the 2017 National Academic Advising Association’s Outstanding Advising Award. Prof. Brown also received the 2017 Provost’s Award for Exemplary Advising from the university.

Prof. Massoth receives AHA grant to support research
Prof. Katherine Massoth (History) has received the American Historical Association’s Albert J. Beveridge Grant, which will support her archival research in southern New Mexico. Additionally, she has been accepted into the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Bridging National Borders in North America Seminar for University Faculty in which she will be a scholar-in-residence at the Newberry Library this summer.

Teaching, Research, Creative Activity & Service

Prof. Horner delivers guest lecture at Purdue University
Prof. Bruce Horner (English) delivered a guest lecture on "Difference, Modality, and Language" at Purdue University in April.

Items of Note

Crowdfunding platform to support students and faculty at UofL
Elevate, UofL’s official crowdfunding platform, launched April 24. The platform features noteworthy university initiatives and enables the community to engage with and support projects that are meaningful to them. Elevate also gives students, faculty and staff an opportunity to share their stories and impact their respective areas. Each donation goes directly to the project chosen. If you are interested in utilizing Elevate to fund your project, visit the Elevate Application or contact the A&S Communication Team at asadvance@louisville.edu.

In the News

Bevin signs shared parenting law (The Daily Independent, 4/16/17 and The Richmond Register, 4/18/17) – Prof Ryan Schroeder (chair, Sociology) testified before the Kentucky legislature in support of the new law, which allows parents to share equal custody of children in the event of divorce.

2017 Grawemeyer Recipients To Discuss Award-Winning Ideas In Louisville (WFPL News, 4/18/17) – Interviews with the 2017 Grawemeyer Award winners.

Stockton Summit Addresses 'Trials and Triumphs of College Men of Color' (Southern New Jersey Today, 4/18/17) – Prof. Ricky Jones (chair, Pan-African Studies) was the keynote speaker at the Stockton Summit.

Will Passport’s Move To West Louisville Spark Economic Development? (WFPL News, 4/19/17) – Prof. Kelly Kinahan (Urban & Public Affairs) on Passport’s new location in west Louisville.

Prof. Ricky Jones’ (chair, Pan-African Studies) nomination to police advisory board by mayor’s office and the city’s Fraternal Order of Police’s opposition to the appointment:

Ricky L. Jones looks to testify after Louisville police union opposes his oversight panel appointment (The Courier-Journal, 4/22/17) – The president of Louisville’s Fraternal Order of Police asked a Louisville Metro Council appointments committee to table the nomination of Prof. Ricky Jones (chair, Pan-African Studies) to the Citizens Commission on Police Accountability Board. He was nominated to the board by Mayor Greg Fisher’s office, and Prof. Jones has requested the Metro Council delay its vote until he can testify before the committee.

Police union leader fires back after Ricky Jones claims he's a racist (The Courier-Journal, 4/24/17) – FOP President David Mutchler sent a statement to The Courier-Journal regarding the appointment of Prof. Ricky Jones (chair, Pan-African Studies) to the Citizens Commission on Police Accountability Board and comments Prof. Jones has made on social media.

Ricky L. Jones: Police union chief, councilwoman trying to keep 'uppity Negro in his place' (The Courier-Journal, 4/26/17) – Prof. Jones responds to FOP president and Metro Councilwoman delaying his nomination to police advisory board.

Supporters of science to gather locally for March for Science/People’s Climate March (just not today) (Insider Louisville, 4/22/17) – Prof. Keith Mountain (Geography & Geosciences) spoke at Louisville’s March for Science April 23.

The elephant in the room is white privilege (The Courier-Journal, 4/18/17) – Prof. Cate Fosl (Women’s & Gender Studies), director of the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research on white privilege.

Four things holding scientists back from running for political office (Quartz, 4/23/17) – Prof. Mark Running (Biology) on why scientists may be reluctant to run for political office.